Father of victim: Family killed in crash was vacationing in Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Five members of a vacationing South Carolina family were among those killed in a fiery Alaska plane crash that left all 10 on board dead.

The Antonakos family of Greenville, S.C., usually went to Myrtle Beach, S.C., each summer, but the father of Kimberly Antonakos said Monday his daughter and her family decided to travel to Alaska for 10 days this year instead.

"They were very excited," H. Wayne Clayton said. "They never had been there before and wanted to see what it was like."

Clayton said his son-in-law Melet Antonakos sold computer software to hospitals and doctors' offices, while Kimberly shuffled the three children to their many activities. The children were 16-year-old Olivia, 14-year-old Mills and 11-year-old Anastacia.

"It's rough, to lose five (family) members at one time, Clayton said.

South Carolina House Majority Leader Bruce Bannister said the other victims were also a family from Greenville, S.C. — Chris McManus and Stacey McManus and their two children.

Investigators have begun their probe into the crash of a de Havilland DHC3 Otter that crashed and burned shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday at the airport in Soldotna, about 75 miles southwest of Anchorage. The plane had just taken off and apparently was en route to a fishing lodge, according to National Transportation Safety Board investigator Clint Johnson.

Bannister said the Antonakos family lived on his street in Greenville. Bannister said the families watched each other's dogs and checked the mail when each was on vacation. Olivia was going to be in 11th grade, Mills was going to be in ninth grade and Anna was going to be in sixth grade next year, he said.

"They were great kids — just a fantastic family," Bannister said.

The victims also included the pilot of the de Havilland DHC3 Otter that went down shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday at the airport in Soldotna, about 75 miles southwest of Anchorage on the Kenai Peninsula, authorities said. Soldotna police said the other four passengers also were from South Carolina, though identities haven't been officially released yet.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the Otter was operated by Rediske Air, based in Nikiski, another Kenai Peninsula community. The pilot of the downed plane was Nikiski-based Walter "Willie" Rediske, company spokesman Andy Harcombe said.

The remains of the victims were sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office in Anchorage for autopsies and positive identifications.

The NTSB sent an investigative team from Washington that arrived in Anchorage Monday afternoon before heading to Soldotna. NTSB member Earl Weener said the on-scene investigation is expected to last between five and eight days, with a probable cause determination expected in about a year.

At the time of the crash, there were light winds and high clouds, Johnson said.

"The weather at this point is obviously still on the table, but it's not something we're centering on," he said. NTSB investigations also look at pilot error and mechanical problems as possible causes.

Rediske Air was involved in an accident last year in Nikiski, according to an NTSB database report.

In the non-injury mishap, the pilot of a Cessna 207A plane misidentified the runway surface at night and landed the aircraft in a snow bank. The pilot said most of the runway lights had been covered by heavy snow and were not clearly visible.

In the Soldotna crash, the flames took 10 minutes to extinguish and initially kept firefighters from reaching the wreckage, according to authorities.

The de Havilland is similar to an Otter that crashed in Alaska in 2010, killing former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens and four others, Johnson said. The plane in the Stevens crash was equipped with floats, while the plane in Sunday's crash had wheels.

Flying in Alaska is common because of the limited road system in the vast state, where planes can encounter such hazards as volatile weather and treacherous mountain passes. The majority of Alaska communities aren't connected to the road system, with small planes providing a vital link to the outside world. They bring in food, medicine, mail and other supplies, and provide for air travel — with scheduled and on-demand flights.

It's possible to drive from Anchorage to Soldotna, but it's about a four-hour trip as the highway hugs Turnagain Arm then cuts through a mountain pass.

Soldotna, with a population of about 4,300, is on the banks of the Kenai River, and the area is busy this time of the year with people fishing for salmon. The airport is located about a mile from a commercial area and has a paved runway that is 5,000 feet long.

Alaska has seen several plane crashes this year, including a June 28 crash that killed a pilot and two passengers on a commercial tour in the Alaska Range. The passengers in that crash also were from South Carolina.

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